The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Internal combustion engines combust an air and fuel mixture within cylinders to drive pistons, which produces drive torque. Air flow into gasoline engines is regulated via a throttle. More specifically, the throttle adjusts throttle area, which increases or decreases air flow into the engine. As the throttle area increases, the air flow into the engine increases. A fuel control system adjusts the rate that fuel is injected to provide a desired air/fuel mixture to the cylinders. Increasing the amount of air and fuel provided to the cylinders increases the torque output of the engine.
A vehicle may include an auto-stop/start system that increases the vehicle's fuel efficiency. The auto-start/stop system increases fuel efficiency by selectively shutting down the engine and disabling the provision of fuel to the engine while the ignition system of the vehicle is still ON (e.g., key ON). While the engine is shut down, the auto-stop/start system selectively starts up the engine when one or more start-up conditions are satisfied.